FREEHOLD, NJ – It was to be one of the flagship, newly renovated Toys R Us Stores. After upgrades, it had a movie lounge, interactive play areas and more toys than you can shake a stick at. Then it closed down. Now, after years of sitting vacant, the former Toys R Us at the Freehold Raceway Mall has a new tenant.
Ocean State Job Lot (OSJL), the region’s premier privately-held discount retail chain with 146 store locations across the Northeast, recently purchased the former Toys ‘R Us location at 600 Trotters Way, Freehold, NJ from TRU 2005 RE I, LLC c/o Raider Hill Advisors. Pat Gallagher, Brian Goodwin, David Judd and Brandon Anapol of Metro Commercial brokered the transaction. The store is across from the Freehold Raceway Mall and is expected to open this fall. This is the 11th Toys ‘R Us OSJL has purchased since 2017.
The 44,784 sq. foot store will offer customers a big, bright shopping space, and restore vibrancy to this recently-vacant retail location, creating new jobs in the community. OSJL will be the only retail location in this space and will not be sharing it with any other tenants.
“Ocean State Job Lot is committed to continued expansion and growth throughout the Northeast, and based upon the warm welcome we’ve received in our other New Jersey markets, we are excited to add another location,” said Paul Cox, Director of Store Operations for Ocean State Job Lot. “We look forward to creating new jobs, filling a large vacancy in a popular shopping center, and providing great values and a friendly shopping experience for the Freehold community.”
Shoppers throughout New England, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania know Ocean State Job Lot for its Crazy Deals, Insider Club, fantastic prices, friendly customer service, and wide range of merchandise.
Ocean State Job Lot has made its mark in the discount-retail segment through opportunistic buying, which allows it to offer a wide selection of first-quality name brands and closeout merchandise at unbelievable prices. Shoppers find an ever-changing array of household goods, apparel, pet supplies, seasonal products (such as lawn and garden, patio, pool and beach supplies, cooling, and holiday), kitchen pantry staples and a broad offering of gourmet and international specialty foods.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the OSJL Charitable Foundation has actively invested in providing relief to the communities in which it operates, going as far as supporting the existing 145 communities in which it has stores with $25 million in financial and product donations in 2020. Among these donations was the ongoing distribution of $15 million in PPE to school systems, hospitals and other healthcare facilities, and police and fire departments across New England and the Northeast.